Trailer Wiring Harness on 2011 Jeep Patriot Not Functioning Because of Poor Ground Connection

Question:

I have of your converter module in my 2011 Jeep Patriot. It shows power to my 4 way plug but when I hook my utility trailer nothing works . It works on my ram. What can be wrong ?

asked by: Thomas C

Expert Reply:

Good job trying the trailer with a different vehicle! What you have occurring sounds like a ground problem. The white wire coming off the converter box needs to be grounded securely to clean, corrosion-free metal.

When you tested the 4 pole connector and found that you're getting power, were you using a circuit tester like # PTW2993? If so, how did you ground the tester? If you grounded the tester directly to the vehicle frame, try grounding it to the male pin on the 4 pole trailer connector and then testing it. If the connector shows power when the tester is grounded to the vehicle. but not to the pin, you've proven that the ground connection for the converter box is faulty.

For a good ground connection, sand a dime sized area around where the ground screw fastens down to bare metal. On the ground screw, install a star washer so its sandwiched between the vehicle surface and the ring terminal on the ground wire. The star washer will bite into the surface you're attaching the ground wire to, ensuring a good connection.

You should be good to go at that point.

expert reply by: Mike L